Since yesterday’s post was all about how to succeed in the classroom, we figured today’s should be all about how to succeed outside of it. If you live on campus, one of the biggest differences from high school to college is being within walking to just about everything. You should never feel like you’re living in the library 24/7, or that there isn’t something fun to do literally right around the corner. There are TONS of ways for you to disconnect from your school work and get involved with your campus community. For four (or more) years, your college campus is just that: It’s your house, friends, family, and overall living community.

Tailgate: If your school is into football, this is just one type of on-campus social event that you won’t want to miss. Unfortunately at our Alma Mater, tailgating was a bust. But at most schools, these pre-game, outdoor parties are things that you’ll start looking forward to every week. Football season begins right away! So while you’re syncing everything onto one big planner, you might as well leave space for all of the home football games.

The Quad: The grassy area on campus where everyone goes to hang out on nice days. And yes, people really hang out here–it’s not just some place that they show you on a campus tour. If you go to college in the Northeast, you’ll find out rather quickly how packed this place can become during the last few, warm days of fall and the first few, beautiful days of spring. Never played a game of ultimate frisbee? Go to the quad, and you’ll figure it out. I passed the Quad at Brown University last weekend and instantly felt nostalgic. Where else can you simply lay in the grass during a quick, twenty-minute break?

Dining Halls: Brittni lived on campus for four years so she mastered the art of creating meals out of the not-so-appetizing choices at her dining halls. At first you might be tempted to indulge in that all you can eat facility, but be realistic. Would you stuff your face with all that food if it wasn’t free? Nope, probably not. Try everything once. Don’t change your usual eating habits just because you have a free-for-all at your disposal. And finally: BE CREATIVE!! We promise, you can take a little bit of everything and create a whole new and personalized dinner. Yummmm!

Student Entertainment Committee: Your school may have its own unique name for this group, but whatever it is, figure it out, and “like” them on Facebook. This is the group that decides who and when concerts, shows, events, etc. will happen on campus. If you want a good spring concert, find this committee and start sending them requests.

Clubs: Sign up for them! We’ve already mentioned SEC, but what about those clubs that can help you build your resume and help you make friends? Check out if your school has a newspaper, TV station, photography club, etc. It can give you some great, pre-graduate experience that could even help you snag an internship or even better, an entry-level job after you graduate.

On-Campus Jobs: Speaking of jobs, on-campus jobs are seriously fantastic. They usually pay really well (Jenna got a raise every semester!) and you don’t have to be inconvenienced or waste money by driving to work. Another benefit is that they usually take your school load very seriously. Getting time off to study for finals, finish big projects, or simply to catch up on work is usually easier at on-campus jobs than any other off-campus positions that you may find.

Campus Bucks: Every school seems to have a type of monetary system that students can use at stores and restaurants around campus. For example, at our Alma Mater, we had something called a Ram Account. Our student ID cards could be used as pseudo-debit cards and were a great way to manage spending extra cash. Not only is it easier to throw some money on your account to alleviate carrying extra cash, but you can budget those coffees and late night food binges. Put a certain amount onto your card each month/week, limit your spending, and only use your account for on-campus purchases. You’ll thank us when you’re not completely broke!

24-hour Delivery: Whether this is a good or bad thing for your budget, lucrative calzone, taco, and pizza joints make drunk eating late-night snacking a beautiful thing in college towns. It’s pretty self-explanatory: You call at any time of the day, any time of the week… and they deliver. Genius.

The Gym: You’ll find out post-grad that gym memberships can become pretty expensive. Take advantage of the free one you have right on campus (and burn off those extra weekend calories) by figuring out the perfect gym schedule for you. This takes some trial-and-error to determine when it’s packed and when you can jump on a machine right away. But once you’ve got your schedule down, the gym becomes an easy way to let off steam, take a study break, or meet new friends that are interested in the same types of things as you. Some schools even offer free classes! In college, you should take advantage of all the free handouts that you can get.

Resident Assistants (RA): RA’s can be a variety of different types of people. They’re there to monitor and enforce your school’s rules, and are there to help you, care for you, and look out for your best interest. Most rules are in place to make sure you don’t ruin your life by doing something stupid. As annoying as it may seem, look at these people as less of a tyrant and more of a caretaker. They’re students just like you, and were in your position once, too. If you’re lucky, your RA could end up as one of your best friends (that happened to Brittni after her Senior year. Hi Rachel 🙂 ). Even if this doesn’t happen, be sure to stay on good terms with your RA. You could need them one day… or who knows, they might need you, too!